Three Men of Third John The Good Teacher第三个男人的三个约好的老师.pptVIP

Three Men of Third John Background to First John What about the epistle? A private letter to a member (c. A.D. 90) A private letter giving us a glimpse of a local church What about the three men? Gaius is a common Roman name (Acts 19:29; 20:4; Rom. 16:23; 1 Cor. 1:14) Diotrephes is mentioned only here Demetrius is mentioned only here (Acts 19:24,38 ?) What about the local church? A local church with good and bad members A local church with lessons for today Gaius: The Man Who Would Prosper John prayed that Gaius would prosper both physically and spiritually (v. 2; Josh. 1:8; Psa. 1:3) John rejoiced for Gaius walking in truth (vv. 3-4; 2 Jn. 2,4) John commended Gaius for his hospitality and support of truthful teachers (vv. 5-8; Mt. 25:34ff; Rom. 12:13; Gal. 6:6; 1 Tim. 3:2; 5:10; Heb. 13:2; 1 Pet. 4:9) Diotrephes: The Man Who Would Be Preeminent Self-promoter (v. 9; Mt. 20:27; Mk. 9:35; 10:44) Insubordinate (v. 9; Lk. 7:30) Slanderous (v. 10; 1 Tim. 5:13) Vindictive (v. 10; Lk. 6:22) Demetrius: The Man Who Would Be A Pattern A good report from the brethren (Acts 6:3) A good report from the truth (Jn. 5:39; 15:26; 1 Jn. 5:7) A good report from the Apostles (Jn. 19:35; 21:24) Three Lessons from Three Men Members in a local church are often different (v. 9). Will you allow this to negatively affect your service or your salvation? Members in a local church often imitate other members (v. 11). What example are we setting? Whose example are we imitating? Members in a local church need to address problem members (vv. 1,9,13-14). Will you love “truth” enough to correct error? Three Lessons from Three Men Are you prospering in what counts in the local church? Are you seeking preeminence over others in the local church? Are you setting a good example for all in the local church? 6/5/11 Memorial Blvd. File: 719 Chris Reeves